Contaminated Cheese From Washington Creamery Sickens People in Oregon and Washington

An unpasteurized aged cheese produced by Twin Sisters Creamery Farmhouse in Washington state was linked to an Oregon resident who tested positive for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O103.

Three people experienced symptoms of E. coli infection between Sept. 5 and Sept. 16. The Oregon Health Authority confirmed that samples of the Twin Sisters cheese obtained from the Oregon resident were tested at a laboratory.

The presence of an E. coli O103 pathogen found in the sample matched that of two Washington state residents who had indirect exposure to cheese from the same company.

Additional cheese samples were collected from several retail locations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which reported a preliminary E. coli isolate from unopened cheese purchased at grocery stores. For information about E. coli, visit the CDC page on E.coli.